In a reply to RTI activist Subhash Agrawal, the DoE has admitted to ‘unauthorized’ activities at ‘6, Krishna Menon Marg’ bungalow which was allotted to the late Babu Jagjivan Ram

The Directorate of Estates (DoE) in a reply to a Right to Information (RTI) application has admitted existence of an ‘unauthorized’ statue and a photo-exhibition of late Babu Jagjivan Ram along with two boards including one by New Delhi Municipal Corporation depicting the 6 Krishna Menon Marg bungalow as Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial.

The reply followed the Central Information Commission (CIC) order dated 7 May 2012 to the ministry of urban development (MoUD) to disclose information related to allotment, occupation and use of a government bungalow by family members of late Indrani Devi, widow of late Babu Jagjivan Ram and her daughter and Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, in public domain. DoE comes under the MoUD. (Disclose details of Babu Jagjivan Ram’s bungalow, orders CIC)

In the same reply to the RTI application filed by Delhi-based activist Subhash Agrawal, the DoE revealed that Central Public Works Department (CPWD) was the authority responsible to take care of the said bungalow.

According to Mr Agrawal, considering the above information, the DoE had deliberately avoided other queries such as the owner of the photos displayed at the exhibition at the bungalow; information on removing ‘unauthorized’ statue of late Babu Jagjivan Ram, photo-exhibition on him and a NMDC board stating it as ‘Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial’ and information on the person who had given permission to Babu Jagjivan Ram National Foundation to hold Sarva Dharma Prarthana in 2011, among others.

“Director of Estate has surprisingly expressed ‘ignorance’ about persons living there despite their physical presence highlighted and observed by media-persons,” said Mr Agrawal referring to a media report. He added that, “Strict-most action should be taken against all CPWD persons responsible for not taking action against encroachers and trespassers of the bungalow now continuously for last one decade, when it was claimed to be vacated by Ms Meira Kumar vide her letter dated 28 November 2002 addressed to the CPWD. Immediate arrest of persons living and having encroached the said bungalow should be made. All unauthorized structures, boards, photo-exhibition, etc, should be immediately removed.”

Mr Agrawal demanded that, “High-level enquiry should be ordered and responsibility fixed for keeping the bungalow un-allotted for such a long period resulting in loss of crores of rupees in terms of rental value. The Comptroller & Auditor General of India (CAG) should take cognizance of such big loss to exchequer. Immediate steps should be taken to allot this bungalow to some entitled one.”

In 2004, Ms Kumar was allotted the bungalow number 6 at Krishna Menon Marg after she became the Union minister of social justice & employment. The same residence was the house of her father and senior Congress leader Babu Jagjivan Ram till his death in 1986. Ms Kumar was allotted another bungalow, number 20 on Akbar Road when she became the Speaker in 2009 and where she currently lives.

However, according to the news reports, Ms Meira continued to hold both these bungalows. A statement from the Speaker’s office had said that the family members of late Indrani Devi had vacated the Krishna Menon Marg bungalow by 30 November 2002, and this was intimated to the CPWD, NDMC, Director of Estates and other authorities. It is also reported that the bungalow has been turned into a memorial for Babu Jagjivan Ram.

Interestingly, considering the Union cabinet’s decision on 6 August 2000, which said that no bungalow in the future could be converted into a memorial, furnished under the earlier RTI application of Mr Agrawal, the memorial of Babu Jagjivan Ram is in complete violation of that decision.  

In November 2011, the RTI query filed by Mr Agrawal had revealed that the Speaker has been served A Rs2 crore bill for THE illegally occupied bungalow. (Lok Sabha Speaker owes govt Rs2 crore as unpaid rent). However in reply to Mr Agrawal’s earlier RTI query the DoE said that the recovery notice was withdrawn.